"International Eye," an exhibition of photographs from around the globe taken by Princeton undergraduates, is being shown in residential colleges this semester. The images showcase students' participation in international study, internships, service and research. Sophomore Luke Cheng, who is majoring in operations research and financial engineering, won Best in Show for his photo "A Small World," taken in Hangzhou, China.

Photos courtesy of the Office of International Programs

Web Stories

Video feature: Students perceive new worlds with an 'International Eye'

Posted March 8, 2012; 12:00 p.m.

by Staff

Princeton University students are showcasing their many opportunities to experience life abroad through "International Eye," an exhibition of photographs taken by undergraduates on five continents while participating in international study, internships, service and research.

The exhibition is being shown in residential colleges this spring and currently may be seen weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. until March 25 in the James S. Hall '34 Memorial Gallery in Butler College. It then will be on display in the Rockefeller College Common Room until April 30. All of the winning photos also may be viewed online.

The exhibition has been presented for the last four years and was created through an international photo contest sponsored by the Office of International Programs (OIP) this past fall. Twenty-nine photographs were selected from more than 300 submissions snapped in 45 countries by 120 students concentrating in 28 departments. Most of the international experiences were funded by Princeton programs and departments.

"The exhibition is a great outlet for students to share their new perspectives with the broader campus community," said Nancy Kanach, senior associate dean of the college and director of OIP. "As students bring their international experiences back to the Princeton campus, they influence campus culture and inspire others to pursue similar experiences."

"This is not just about the places students go, but about the way they see and experience those places," said Giorgio DiMauro, associate director of the Study Abroad Program.

Undergraduates were asked to submit photos that told a story about their time abroad, lent a fresh perspective on the monuments, cityscapes and landscapes they encountered, or revealed an aspect of the culture within which they found themselves.

First, second and third prizes were awarded in five categories — cityscape/architecture, abstraction, landscape/nature, people and innovations for successful societies. Another 14 images received honorable mention.

Photographer Allan MacIntyre, lecturer in the Lewis Center for the Arts, selected the winning photographs, along with staff from the Innovations for Successful Societies program for the new category.

"We are very grateful to our judge, Allan MacIntyre, for lending his creative and technical eye and making the contest a truly artistic one," DiMauro said.

Sophomore Luke Cheng, a concentrator in operations research and financial engineering, won Best in Show and Best in Category in abstraction for his photo "A Small World," taken in Hangzhou, China. Cheng taught English to middle school students in rural China during the summer of 2011.